Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen are 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'

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HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn” is the story of the epic love story between journalist Martha Gellhorn and writer Ernest Hemingway. At the Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, CA, stars Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen had a lot to say about playing the most celebrated literary couple in America. (It may have been the most attractive panel of all time. We just need to point that out.)

We got to see a clip of the film, which will be shown on HBO in May, and it features voice overs that are direct quotes from Gellhorn. Kidman says of her character’s passionate and volatile relationship with Hemingway, “I think Martha found her voice when she was with Hemingway. She was
the first female war correspondent … she wrote with such direct truth and
that’s hard to do.”

“She’s not Hemingway,” she explains. “She doesn’t want to write novels. You see her on the front line. You see her hands bloody … She out-Hemingway’s Hemingway,” she says. Director Phil Kaufman tells us that these two came together because they were attracted to intense situations. There is, in fact, a scene of them making love while a building is coming down around them. “I think when they came together, they were fiercely passionate, fiercely intelligent,” Owen says.

Kidman also tells us about what attracted her to the character. “I think I’m attracted to many different roles, but there are times
when I feel the need to play someone that inspires me. Martha inspires
me.” She says that she approaches real life roles by looking for that person’s essence instead of just dealing with mannerisms.

She says she’s grateful to HBO for being willing to do this. “I love playing women
who defy the odds and burn bright.”